Beginner Guide to Using Reddit

This is called the ‘front page of the internet’, so wanting to get involved with the Reddit community is completely understandable.

But when you land on the homepage for the first time, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Reddit is a site with its own rules, structure, and language.

If you want to get into Reddit action, read this quick guide and learn the ropes before you jump.

So what is Reddit?

Reddit is a content democracy based on a voting system. This is the place to learn the latest news and find a sense of community.

Once you start using it, you’ll find that Reddit is more culture than a site, which means it will be difficult to understand on the first day. Like turning on the first day of school and hoping to get into the direct click of the bat.

There are lots of community jokes and referrals, and although this may be a bit surprising at first, it’s the same thing that will make you feel part of an increasingly close family.

How does Reddit work?

Subreddits
This is the channel in Reddit. If you’re new, you’ll automatically subscribe to top subreddits, like Technology, Music, and Games. As you continue to use Reddit, you will find more subreddit to subscribe.

Multireddits Beginner Guide to Using Reddit
This is a customizable group so you can enter your subdocument. They will sit neatly in your side bar so you can easily get to the destination you want.

Upvoting
Help improve items with upvoting. If they get enough upvotes, they will appear on the Reddit homepage.

Downvoting
If something is not helpful or interesting, you can give it a downvote.

Score
The number of upvotes and downvotes on the item will affect the overall score. The score is between the up and down arrows. The number of upvotes minus the number of downvotes gives you the item’s score.

Karma
Karma is obtained when you continue to use Reddit. This is based on the amount of upvotes and downvotes that have been collected and your comments since you opened your account.

Learn Reddit Lingo Beginner Guide to Using Reddit

We are not joking when we say that Redditor has their own language. Here’s how to crack the code:

TL; DR – Too long, unreadable
If someone has installed a wall of text, it is not uncommon to see this in response.

HIFW – How do I feel when …
Use this along with a GIF that expresses your extreme emotional reaction to a given subject.

FTFY – Stay that for you
Usually used when a person defeats or exceeds a claim made by another Redditor.

OP – original poster
This is used when referring to the person who originally started the thread or the post in question.

ITT – In this thread
Use this when you want to generalize the community within a certain thread.

Before you post …

Do not forget to polish your Reddiquette. Do not spam and never ask others to upvote your content. Each subreddit has its own rules to follow, so do not forget to check out this before you post.